UNISON is working with the international trade union movement to mobilise support for those affected by the war in Ukraine – and branches and members can help too No one can fail to be moved by the scenes of terrified civilians taking shelter underground or of the hundreds of thousands of women and children desperately […]
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Pay proposal is a wage cut in all but name Commenting on the government’s submission today (Wednesday) to the NHS pay review body recommending a maximum pay rise of 3% this year for health workers in England, UNISON head of health Sara Gorton said: “This tight-fisted proposal falls well short of rising costs and staff hopes. It’s barely half the […]
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The Department of Health and Social Care has responded to the consultation on proposed changes to the member contribution structure for the England and Wales NHS Pension Scheme. So what are the changes? The main changes to the member contribution structure are outlined below: Members’ contribution rates will change to be based on actual pensionable […]
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Given the changes in clinical evidence the government is revisiting the balance of risks and benefits that guided its original decisions to make coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination a condition of deployment. When vaccination as a condition of deployment was first introduced, Delta was the dominant variant. Omicron has now replaced Delta as the dominant variant, representing […]
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These ill-thought-out rules have worsened the staffing crisis hampering the NHS and social care and caused significant upset. Commenting on the announcement yesterday (Monday) that the government is to scrap the rules for mandatory vaccination in health and care in England, UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said: “This was the right thing to do. But it […]
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Since the beginning of the pandemic, we’ve been fighting to protect UNISON members who are at the forefront of the COVID-19 response. We are working proactively with the UK governments, employers, and other bodies to keep you safe at work. The UK government and other devolved parliaments have outlined plans for ongoing changes to restrictions. […]
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What is ‘Vaccination as a Condition of Deployment’? In late 2021, new regulations were agreed by parliament making it unlawful for an employer delivering CQC regulated activities, to deploy an unvaccinated worker in a face-to-face role from 1st April 2022. In the NHS, these new rules are commonly referred to as Vaccination as a condition of deployment (VCOD). […]
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What is happening? The government has finished a consultation about making COVID vaccines compulsory for health and care staff in England. They intend to bring in a new law to make COVID vaccination mandatory for anyone deployed to deliver Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulated activities who has direct, face-to-face contact with service users. This includes health […]
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